Double-roux shrimp and sausage gumbo made with smoked andouille sausage, shrimp, a dark roux and a lighter roux for added flavor, diced green pepper, celery, onion, okra, and tomato in a Creole seasoned chicken broth served over rice.

What is gumbo?

In the simplest terms, gumbo is a spicy, flavorful stew of meats and vegetables. Gumbo has had a variety of different types since the early 1800’s when it originated in Louisiana.

You may see a mix of any meats in it — chicken, crab, oysters, sausage, shrimp, ham, bacon, or beef. A variety of vegetables are also used.

Another main difference you’ll see is some gumbo recipes, some cooks use filé and others use dried okra to thicken the soup.

It’s believed that filé was originally only used when okra was not in season, however, many use this as a regular ingredient in their gumbo.

Ingredients for Double-Roux Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

Andouille Sausage (or similar)
Small Shrimp
Vegetable Oil
Onion
Celery
Okra (Can be frozen if not found fresh.)
Green Bell Pepper
Tomato
Flour
Butter
Chicken Broth
Salt
Creole Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper
Bay Leaves
Parsley
Gumbo Filé
Rice

What is gumbo filé?

Filé is a spicy herb made of dried and ground leaves from sassafras trees. It’s used in gumbo as a thickener, to give flavor, and typically added after gumbo has cooked as the final touch.

In more recent years, browned flour has also been added to gumbo. Browned flour is achieved by making a roux of melted butter and/or oil and flour and allowing it to cook until browned.

Dark Roux with Oil and Flour — Dark roux made with oil and flour.

Lighter Roux Made with Butter and Flour — Dark roux made with oil and flour.

The Double-Roux

This is another way to thicken gumbo and add a rich taste to the soup. This recipe calls for TWO roux to be made.

I recently watched an episode from season 16 Top Chef where Chef Kelsey from Alabama made a gumbo with two roux – one cooked a little longer than the other. It was so creative and sounded so delicious!

For my own gumbo I decided to up the flavor and try a double-roux too. When making a roux for gumbo it’s important to have the same amount of fat to flour ratio.

So 1 cup oil or butter to 1 cup flour.

The two roux in this recipe are vegetable oil and flour cooked until they are a milk chocolate brown color, and the other is butter with flour cooked until it is a rich caramel hue.

With so many different versions and varieties, I came up with my own gumbo recipe that I knew my family would like. And don’t forget the cheddar bay biscuits!

Looking for a side to go with gumbo?

I’m very partial to cornbread with gumbo and The Food Charlatan’s sweet and moist honey cornbread is my favorite! The honey caramelizes in the cast-iron skillet and almost has a caramel flavor.

You must try the recipe, and if you do, follow the directions exactly. It turns out so darn delicious! (You can see cubes of the honey cornbread in all of my photos.)

Try these other great soups and stews!

Enjoy!

Double-Roux Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Simply HappeningsCourse: MainCuisine: Creole, American

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

13-16 oz Andouille Sausage (or similar), cut 1/4″ thick
12 oz small Shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail-off
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Medium Onion, diced
2-3 Celery Stalks, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 cup Okra (can be fresh or found in the frozen aisle), diced
14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Flour, divided
1/2 cup Butter
12 cups (or two 48 oz containers) Chicken Broth
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Creole Seasoning, separated
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
2 tbsp Parsley
1 tsp Gumbo Filé
2-3 cups Steamed White Rice (Or Zatarain’s Red Beans and Rice is a tasty combo.)

Directions

Cook sausage in a large pot or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 7 minutes. Set aside.
Season shrimp with 1 tsp Creole seasoning and cook in the same large pot, about 1-2 minutes, until pink and opaque. Set aside with sausage.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pot/pan. Once hot, add onion, celery, okra, green pepper, and tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes. Scoop vegetables into a bowl and set aside.
In the same pot/pan, make a roux by melting 1/2 cup butter and whisking in 1/2 cup flour. Allow this roux to cook until it becomes a caramel color, whisking frequently, then set aside. Make a second roux by adding 1/2 cup vegetable oil and whisking in flour. Cook until it is a milk chocolate color.

Note: The darker the brown color, the richer the flavor your gumbo will have.
Add both roux to a large pot and slowly whisk in chicken broth. Add remaining teaspoon of Creole seasoning, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, salt, and parsley.
Add meat and vegetables to the pot with broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaves. Add gumbo filé and stir.
Spoon steamed white rice or red beans and rice into the bottom of bowls and ladle gumbo over top.

Notes & Tips

To add to the flavor, I used a cast-iron skillet to cook the sausage, shrimp, vegetables, and both of the roux. Obviously, this makes the cooking time longer as they each cook individually in the skillet.

To cut time, you can cook in two pans simultaneously.

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